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Wyckoff, New Jersey
Wyckoff is a township in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 16,508. It is a primarily white, upper-middle class community outside New York City. Nationwide, Wyckoff ranks 53rd in 100 highest-income places in the United States (with at least 10,000 households. Statewide, Wyckoff ranks 44th in New Jersey locations by per capita income. From the mid-18th century, what is now Wyckoff was a community within Franklin Township, which consisted of most of northern Bergen County west of the Saddle River. Starting in the 1840s, several new municipalities were created from portions of Franklin Township, so that today what is now Wyckoff borders eight different communities. Wyckoff was formed as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on November 2, 1926, replacing Franklin Township, based on the results of a referendum held that day. Portions of Wyckoff were ceded to Midland Park based on the results of a referendum held on June 9, 1931.[1]The Jonas Brothers came out of the town of Wyckoff, New Jersey. The most commonly given origin for the name Wyckoff, which was the origin accepted by the town committee when the town was established, is that Wyckoff is from the Lenape word "wickoff", meaning high ground, or that it is from "wickok" meaning water.[2][3] A less widely held theory is that the town was named for Brooklyn judge Pieter Claesen Wyckoff (1625-1694). The surname comes from the Dutch words "Wyk," meaning parish and "Hof," meaning court. None of these origins is supported with solid historical evidence. The town has 13 churches, one synagogue, five public schools, three volunteer fire stations, and one volunteer ambulance corps.
HistoryThe first known human inhabitants of the area were the Lenni Lenape Native Americans who lived north of the Raritan River and spoke a Munsee dialect of Algonquian. Sicomac, said to mean "resting place for the departed" or "happy hunting ground", is an area of Wyckoff that, according to tradition, was the burial place of many Native Americans, including Chief Oratam of the Ackingshacys, and many stores and buildings there are named after the area's name, including Sicomac Elementary School.[3] Most Native Americans had left by the 19th century, although a small group lived near Clinton Avenue until 1939. What is today Wyckoff was part of Saddle River Township, which included all of Bergen County west of the Saddle River. Saddle River Township was split up in 1771 with the area containing Wyckoff becoming Franklin Township. By 1755, about 100 families lived in the Franklin Township area, of which, no more than 20 were in what is now Wyckoff. Franklin Township (1771) consisted of what is today Ho-Ho-Kus (seceded 1849), Ridgewood (seceded 1876), Midland Park (seceded 1894), Oakland (seceded 1902), Franklin Lakes (seceded 1922), and Wyckoff. The size of Franklin Township decreased as areas seceded and were incorporated into their own towns. After Franklin Lakes was established in 1922, Franklin Township consisted of only the area known locally as Wyckoff. On November 2, 1926, residents voted (243 positive votes out of 337) to change the name from Franklin Township to the Township of Wyckoff.[1] The first recorded permanent settlers were John and William Van Voor Haze (Voorhees), who purchased 550 acres (2.2 kmē) of land in the area in 1720. Other early settlers (mostly Dutch) included the Van Horns, Terhunes, Ackermans, Quackenbushes, Pulises, and Vanderhoffs. In 1940 the population was just under 4,000 consisting of roughly 100 families with 30% of the land was devoted to farming. By 1969 the number of farms had dropped to 13 covering 3 acres (12,000 mē), 6% of the town. Today only two farms remain: Abma's Farm and Goffle Road Poultry Farm, which is Bergen County's only remaining live market. Rail service by the New Jersey Midland Railway began in 1870. That service was purchased by the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway, which abruptly ended passenger service in 1966. The Terhune House is an historic home listed on the National Register of Historic Places, located at 161 Godwin Avenue, that was initially constructed in 1737.[4] In 1994, the Vander Platt funeral home prepared the body of Richard Nixon for burial. Timeline
GeographyWyckoff is located at (40.998583, -74.167104). According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 6.6 square miles (17.0 kmē), of which, 6.6 square miles (17.0 kmē) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 kmē) of it (0.30%) is water. DemographicsAs of the census of 2000, there were 16,508 people, 5,541 households, and 4,632 families residing in the township. The population density was 2,521.6 people per square mile (973.1/kmē). There were 5,638 housing units at an average density of 861.2/sq mi (332.3/kmē). The racial makeup of the township was 94.54% White, 0.47% African American, 0.15% Native American, 3.70% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.45% from other races, and 0.68% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.28% of the population. There were 5,541 households out of which 42.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 75.7% were married couples living together, 5.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.4% were non-families. 14.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.22. In the township the population was spread out with 28.3% under the age of 18, 4.3% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 26.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 91.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.5 males. The median income for a household in the township was $103,614, and the median income for a family was $117,864. Males had a median income of $87,850 versus $51,929 for females. The per capita income for the township was $49,375. About 1.1% of families and 1.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.3% of those under age 18 and 1.9% of those age 65 or over. GovernmentLocal governmentWyckoff is governed by a Township Committee, which consists of five members elected at large for staggered three-year terms, so that no more than two committee members are elected each year. On January 1, the Township Committee conducts an annual reorganization meeting to organize the government for the new year. The Committee selects a chairperson from among its members who serves as Mayor, and another member to serve as Deputy Mayor. The Mayor chairs meetings of the Township Committee, signs documents on behalf of the Township and performs wedding ceremonies. The Township Committee, as a whole, exercises legislative and executive powers.[5] The members of the Wyckoff Township Committee are Mayor Richard C. Alnor (R, term ends December 31, 2009), Deputy Mayor Harold Galenkamp (R, 2008), Rudolf E. Boonstra (R, 2010), David N. Connolly (R, 2008) and Joseph B. Fiorenzo (R, 2009).[6][7] In elections held on November 6, 2007, voters filled a single seat on the Township Committee, which became open when Henry J. McNamara, winner of the June 2007 Republican primary, announced in September that he would not run for re-election.[8] Rudolf E. Boonstra (1,861 votes), the candidate chosen by the Republican Party to fill McNamara's ballot slot, won election. Diane Sobin (1,057), who ran against McNamara in the June primary and lost, came in second, followed by Democrat Christopher Hillman (754).[9][10] On Election Day, November 7, 2006, voters filled two seats for three-year terms on the Township Committee. As of Election Day, the township committee was composed entirely of Republicans, in a community in which registered Republicans outnumber Democrats by an almost 3-1 margin. Republican incumbents Joseph B. Fiorenzo (3,907 votes) and Richard Alnor (3,656) won re-election, defeating Democratic challenger Brian J. Hubert (3,125). A ballot initiative establishing a Municipal Open Space Fund that would add a ―-cent tax for each $100 in assessed value passed by a 3,027-2,726 margin.[11][12][13] While Hubert fell short of winning a seat by over 500 votes, his performance was significant in a community in which Republicans significantly outnumber Democrats.[14] Federal, state and county representationWyckoff is part of New Jersey's 40th Legislative District and is in the Fifth Congressional District.[15]
PoliticsAs of April 1, 2006, out of a 2004 Census estimated population of 17,206, there were 11,098 registered voters (64.5% of the population, vs. 55.4% in all of Bergen County). Of registered voters, 1,192 (10.7% vs. 20.7% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 3,515 (31.7% vs. 19.2% countywide) were registered as Republicans and 6,389 (57.6% vs. 60.1% countywide) were registered as Undeclared. There were two voters registered to other parties.[16] On the national level, Wyckoff leans strongly toward the Republican Party. In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 63% of the vote here, defeating Democrat John Kerry, who received around 36%.[17] TransportationNew Jersey Transit bus route 752 serves Wyckoff. This bus route also serves points between Oakland and Hackensack. [18] Route 208 and County Route 502 travels through Wyckoff. EducationThe Wyckoff School District serves public students in Kindergarten through eighth grade. For the 1998-99 school year, Eisenhower Middle School, the only middle school in the township, was named a "Star School" by the New Jersey Department of Education, the highest honor that a New Jersey school can achieve.[19] In the 2003-04 school year, Eisenhower Middle School was recognized with the Blue Ribbon Award from the United States Department of Education, the highest honor that an American school can achieve.[20] The schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[21]) are four K-5 elementary schools ? Coolidge (442 students), Lincoln (432), Sicomac (403) and Washington (443) ? and Eisenhower Middle School for grades 6-8 (884). Calvin Coolidge School, located at 420 Grandview Avenue, is an elementary school which opened in 1932 as a 6-room K-6 school and has been expanded several times over the years. Dwight D. Eisenhower Middle School was approved in 1960 and dedicated 1963. Since 1993 Eisenhower has served grades 6 to 8. Abraham Lincoln School was dedicated in 1953 on land purchased in 1950. Sicomac School was completed in 1967. George Washington School was constructed as an 11-room brick building on the site where the previous school had burned down. In 2005, a major multi-school expansion project was on the ballots on Election Day, and was passed. Each taxpayer would need to pay an extra $14 each month for almost two years to cover the cost of the project that would add 2-12 rooms into each school, to help with over-crowding in Wyckoff. The construction began in Eisenhower Middle School, the most crowded, in Spring of 2006. Extra precautions had and have to be taken, because the construction is going on while students are in school. During the summer of 2006, in-the-building renovations started, while it was safer to bring larger object in through the halls. One science classroom and a social studies classroom next to it had the wall between the two moved, and the social studies classroom became 1/3 its previous size, and is now the copy center, and will become a hallway to connect the original building and the new expansion. The science classroom became the new guidance office. The older, and smaller guidance office became a special-education classroom. Eisenhower's construction should be completed by early September of 2007. The elementary schools' construction will definitely be completed by September of 2008, but will probably be finished by early 2008. Public high school students from Wyckoff have the choice to attend either Ramapo High School, in Franklin Lakes or Indian Hills High School located in Oakland. Both high schools are part of the Ramapo Indian Hills Regional High School District.[22] The first school in the town was a one-room school built on Wyckoff Avenue in 1869 and used until 1906; demolished in 1906. Prior to 1929, high school students attended Central High School in Paterson, before the Board of Education voted to send students to Ramsey High School in Ramsey instead. Noted residentsNotable current and former residents of Wyckoff include:
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